It is known to the art to provide articulated conveyors whereby one section of the conveyor can be disposed in various positions of adjustment with respect to the other. Typically, however, such a conveyor provides a discharge end or input end of the conveyor pivotably mounted to swing in an arcuate path. However, a conveyor with an end section restricted to arcuate movement cannot readily move to align with input or output stations disposed along a straight line. Accordingly, there is a need to provide for an articulated conveyor wherein one section of the conveyor is translationally adjustable with respect to another along a predetermined linear path to allow for various positions of adjustment of parallel offset of the conveyor.
One example of a prior-art conveyor including a discharge end restricted to movement on an arcuate path is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,210,655, which discloses an articulated conveyor with a swinging end trough section for use in a coal loading machine. The disclosed loading machine comprises a track-mounted truck having a gathering and loading element projecting forwardly from the forward end of the truck and mounted for horizontal and vertical swinging movement, and a discharge conveyor receiving material from the loading element. As a rear trough section of the discharge conveyor swings with respect to a forward trough of the conveyor, the walls of the connecting flexible trough section act on the ends of the conveyor flights to guide the conveyor element through its arcuate travel. In this manner, the rear trough section of the discharge conveyor can be swung from one side of the truck to the other in an arcuate motion to load coal onto coal cars.
As another example of the prior art, U.S. Pat. No. 2,743,002 describes an apparatus for adjustably angling the discharge chute of a conveyor, incorporating hydraulic cylinders to rotate the chute through an arcuate moment, and further incorporating load supporting knuckle arms to support the weight of the chute and its load. Flexible spring steel side plates properly guide the ends of the conveyor flights through the necessary arcuate travel as the discharge chute is swung with respect to the conveyor. Again, however, the adjustable trough section is pivotably mounted to swing in an arcuate motion.